Opportunity rings for Burke

Infielder brings along entourage when called up

Published 5:30 am, Monday, July 5, 2004

It's a good thing for Chris Burke his mobile phone service provider delivered a signal strong enough for him to receive a call baseball players dream of.

Riding in a Nashville, Tenn., hotel elevator Saturday with his mother and wife, Burke got a ring from New Orleans Zephyrs trainer Mike Freer informing him he'd been called up to the big leagues.

Not sure what to make of the surprising news, Burke realized soon after, when Zephyrs manager Chris Maloney phoned in to confirm the promotion, that he'd better get moving.

With 50 friends and family members in town taking in the Zephyrs' game against the Nashville Sounds, Burke needed to expeditiously make arrangements to get himself and his immediate family to Houston by Sunday's series finale against the Texas Rangers.

"Everything happened really fast, but luckily about 15 of them were able to make the trip," Burke said. "They all hopped on a flight and came with me. That's pretty cool."

Quick turnarounds

Quick turnarounds are nothing new for Burke, a Louisville, Ky., native and first-round selection (10th overall) in 2001 by the
Astros
out of the
University of Tennessee
, where he was a two-time All-American. Burke began his career with
Class A Michigan
that summer and promptly hit .300 with 20 extra-base hits and 21 stolen bases in 56 games.

After making the adjustment to Class AA Round Rock the following season, Burke had a breakout campaign with the Express in 2003. Burke led Round Rock in batting average (.301), games (137), at-bats (549), runs (88), hits (165), triples (eight), sacrifices (11), times hit by pitch (14), stolen bases (34) and on-base percentage (.379), sewing up club Most Valuable Player honors. He was named the starting second baseman in the Futures Game during All-Star Weekend and a Texas League All-Star, all of which set the stage for his promotion to New Orleans this season. Success, not surprisingly, followed.

Burke, 24, was hitting .325 with 10 home runs, 35 RBIs and 21 stolen bases in 72 games. Despite such impressive numbers, the last thing Burke expected was a call-up.

"I didn't see this coming at all," said Burke, who replaced pitcher Jeremy Griffiths on the roster when Griffiths was optioned to New Orleans after his start Saturday. "I tried not to (predict the promotion) because it's so much out of my control."

Welcomed warmly

Looking simultaneously exhausted and ecstatic, Burke arrived in the clubhouse 90 minutes before Sunday's first pitch and was greeted warmly by several veterans who made his acquaintance during spring training. Burke, pegged as the Astros' second baseman of the future, benefited from his tenure in Kissimmee, Fla., before being assigned to minor-league camp on March 18. And since he has no clue when this cup of coffee will expire, he plans to absorb all he can from those with experience.

"The cool part about spring training was that I was able to learn what these guys do on an everyday basis," Burke said. "I'm trying to do the same thing here this time."

Burke made his major-league debut at second base in the top of the seventh inning Sunday at Minute Maid Park. He notched an assist in the ninth and finished hitless in two at-bats as the Rangers clubbed the Astros 18-3.